Man robbed, beaten after meeting online date

Jacksonville police say the man was attacked, robbed, and stripped naked while meeting a woman he met online.

Brittany Dionne, WTLV11:18 PM. EST November 17, 2017

Elizabeth Alene Rittenhouse, 20, left, and Kristen Nicole Frees, 19, right were arrested and charged with armed robbery after a man was beaten and robbed following meeting a woman from online. Photo: JSO.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A local man hoping to find love online found his way into a hospital room instead.

Two women, 20-year-old Elizabeth Alene Rittenhouse and 19-year-old Kristen Nicole Freese were booked into the Duval County Jail and charged with armed robbery in connection to the incident.

JSO said the man, who hasn't been identified, agreed to meet a woman for the first time at a house on Haverford Road after talking to her on the dating site "Plenty of Fish."

After he arrived, the woman led the man into the bedroom then left, according to the police report.

The victim told police that shortly after, three men wearing black shirts tied around their faces with their eyes exposed barged into the room and beat him up. He said they stole about $100 worth of personal property, including his phone and wallet.

The man said they then threatened to kill him if he didn't give them his debit card pin.

The police report said the victim was then shoved into a closet with a bag over his head. A few minutes later, the suspects threw his car keys at him, let him go and threatened him if he called the police, according to police reports.

First Coast News' Crime Analyst Mark Baughman weighed in on the situation. He said when searching for anything online, whether it be from dates to furniture, it's best to do your research on who you're meeting up with.

"By going to somebody's house or anonymous address, where you haven't taken the forethought of looking and seeing where it is, and doing a little background work, you're putting yourself at risk," Baughman said. "To safeguard yourself in that type of crime, you want to make sure you're in a public area."

In this case, the victim wound up in the hospital with cuts on his face, swelling and bruising.

The police report lists three men as conspirators, but their identities are unknown.

Police said Rittenhouse and Freese confessed to being home at the time of the incident, but they said they weren't the women who lured the victim there. Both women remain in jail on $100,000 bond.